“This Is My School Too!”: Working with Newcomer Parents to Create a Familycentric School Landscape

Abstract

AbstractIn this article, the authors use narrative inquiry methodology to engage with one Prekindergarten teacher and three newcomer parents in a Western Canadian school. Interested in addressing the unique learning and social needs of these particular parents and family members, as a way of strengthening parents and families as well as enhancing educational outcomes for children, this research sought new ways to give newcomer parents who are often marginalized on school landscapes a place and a voice. The participants’ storied experiences of their engagement in Parent University, Conversation Circles, a Parent Mentor Program, and the everyday life of the classroom clearly showcase that newcomer children benefit greatly from the engagement and empowerment of their parents, when educators work to interrupt the “schoolcentric” ways of schools and instead create a “familycentric” school landscape.